Nice enough after 1,5 hours in the decanter. Served blind and none identified it as Rioja. Most said Douro because it had a slight port tone. Others guessed Toro. Anyway we enjoyed it but I don't think I will buy it again since all preferred the Vina Ardanza 2009 served against it. Have one bottle left that will stay in the cellar for at least 2-3 years.
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Three hour decant. Somewhat muted nose. Cassis, red berries, leather and tobacco. Medium body, balanced and smooth. Missing some depth/complexity, though very good with rounded tannins and a medium length finish. Paired well with a roasted chicken and herbs.
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Deep ruby color. Developing, med (+) aromas of dark chocolate, coffee nibs, ripe red and dark plums, black berry, tobacco, dark cherry, sour cherry, rosemary. Dry, full body, med(+) tannins, high acidity, high alcohol, long finish. This is fuller in body and a lot more oak in the spectrum of Rioja Reserva. Primary aromas are dark fruited and so ripe (kind of jammy) I even thought this might be an off dry red for a moment. I think if you like Napa cab then this is what you want to drink from the old world.
The wine is very lovely but it still has a lot of oak, and tannins are getting integrated so I’d say this is very likely to improve in the next 5 years.
Fantastic pairing with sautéed mushroom with garlic and olive oil, but I’d expect this would be great with a ribeye steak in American style (crust, butter, garlic and rosemary). It was also decent with cheese-rich zucchini risotto and just okay with braised lamb and olive in white wines.
Day 4: A lot of cassis and chocolate with some strawberry finish. Still interesting and tasty but it probably has lost some complexity, which is reasonable on the day 4.
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4/13/2024 - grappagunnar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice enough after 1,5 hours in the decanter.
Served blind and none identified it as Rioja. Most said Douro because it had a slight port tone. Others guessed Toro.
Anyway we enjoyed it but I don't think I will buy it again since all preferred the Vina Ardanza 2009 served against it.
Have one bottle left that will stay in the cellar for at least 2-3 years.
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1/10/2024 - nickcockingmusic wrote: 90 Points
Fantastic modern Rioja, still had enough old school vanilla to be recognizable as a Rioja
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12/28/2023 - Bearesentials Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark fruit, Oak, vanilla, earthy, drinking nicely right now.
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12/17/2023 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Three hour decant. Somewhat muted nose. Cassis, red berries, leather and tobacco. Medium body, balanced and smooth. Missing some depth/complexity, though very good with rounded tannins and a medium length finish. Paired well with a roasted chicken and herbs.
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6/9/2023 - Takao wrote: 93 Points
Deep ruby color. Developing, med (+) aromas of dark chocolate, coffee nibs, ripe red and dark plums, black berry, tobacco, dark cherry, sour cherry, rosemary. Dry, full body, med(+) tannins, high acidity, high alcohol, long finish. This is fuller in body and a lot more oak in the spectrum of Rioja Reserva. Primary aromas are dark fruited and so ripe (kind of jammy) I even thought this might be an off dry red for a moment. I think if you like Napa cab then this is what you want to drink from the old world.
The wine is very lovely but it still has a lot of oak, and tannins are getting integrated so I’d say this is very likely to improve in the next 5 years.
Fantastic pairing with sautéed mushroom with garlic and olive oil, but I’d expect this would be great with a ribeye steak in American style (crust, butter, garlic and rosemary). It was also decent with cheese-rich zucchini risotto and just okay with braised lamb and olive in white wines.
Day 4: A lot of cassis and chocolate with some strawberry finish. Still interesting and tasty but it probably has lost some complexity, which is reasonable on the day 4.
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